Shoeless boys win international basketball tournament

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The victorious Triqui Indian boys team from Mexico, nicknamed the "Barefoot Giants of the Mountains."

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Triqui Indian boys from Mexico win basketball tournament playing barefoot

The team playing without shoes reflects the poverty in the state of Oaxaca

The boys have been heralded as the "Barefoot Giants of the Mountains"

Tournament in Argentina featured teams from all over Central and South America

Despite most of the team being of short stature and playing barefoot, the Triqui Indian boys from Mexico won the championship -- and the hearts of many -- at the International Festival of Mini-Basketball held in Argentina.

Their coach, Sergio Zuniga explains that playing barefoot is a reflection of the poverty in their community in the state of Oaxaca.

"The boys train barefoot, they always walk barefoot. There are no resources to buy shoes," Zuniga commented in an interview with the Basketball Federation of the Province of Cordoba, where the tournament was held.

The seven games against six local teams ended with incredible scores: 86-3 over Celestes; 22-6 against Cordoba University; 72-16 against Central; 82-18 over Hindu; 44-12 against Monteeis and 40-16 over Regatas de Mendoza.

The National Sports and Physical Culture Commission of Mexico named the team as the "Barefoot Giants of the Mountains."

Photos:Dennis Rodman's trips to North Korea

Photos:Dennis Rodman's trips to North Korea

Former NBA basketball star Dennis Rodman is surrounded by North Korean officials and members of the media upon his arrival at Sunan International Airport in Pyongyang, North Korea, on Tuesday, June 13. The trip comes at a time of heightened tension between Washington and Pyongyang.

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Photos:Dennis Rodman's trips to North Korea

Rodman arrives in North Korea on June 13. When asked if he planned to talk to North Korean officials about the four Americans detained there, Rodman said: "Well that's not my purpose right now. ... My purpose is to go over there and try to see if I can keep bringing sports to North Korea."

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Photos:Dennis Rodman's trips to North Korea

Rodman waves to photographers at Beijing Capital International Airport ahead of his departure to Pyongyang on June 13.

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Photos:Dennis Rodman's trips to North Korea

At the Beijing airport, Rodman told CNN he was hoping to do "something that's pretty positive" before boarding a plane bound for North Korea.

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Photos:Dennis Rodman's trips to North Korea

In a handout photo from the North Korean government, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un talks with Rodman during an exhibition basketball game in Pyongyang on January 8, 2014. Rodman, a former contestant on Donald Trump's pre-presidency reality TV show "Celebrity Apprentice," is one of the few Americans to have met Kim.

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Photos:Dennis Rodman's trips to North Korea

Rodman sings "Happy Birthday" to Kim before the exhibition game in Pyongyang. In what he calls "basketball diplomacy," Rodman participated in a game between North Korea and a team of former NBA players.

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Photos:Dennis Rodman's trips to North Korea

A bottle of vodka with illustrations of Rodman, Kim and Rodman's name written in Korean sits on the roof of a car outside a Pyongyang hotel in January 2014.

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Photos:Dennis Rodman's trips to North Korea

Son Kwang Ho, vice minister of North Korea's Sports Ministry, greets Rodman at the airport in Pyongyang in January 2014.

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Photos:Dennis Rodman's trips to North Korea

Rodman plays one-on-one with a North Korean player during a practice session in Pyongyang in December 2013. During the session, Rodman selected the members of the North Korean team who would play in Pyongyang against the visiting NBA stars.

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Photos:Dennis Rodman's trips to North Korea

Rodman holds a cigar as he speaks to North Korean basketball players during the practice session in December 2013.

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Photos:Dennis Rodman's trips to North Korea

Rodman attracts notice as he enters the Koryo Hotel in Pyongyang in December 2013.

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Photos:Dennis Rodman's trips to North Korea

Rodman arrives at Beijing's airport before a flight to North Korea in December 2013.

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Photos:Dennis Rodman's trips to North Korea

Rodman shows photos of himself with Kim while talking to journalists at the Beijing airport in September 2013. It was after his second trip to the reclusive nation.

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Photos:Dennis Rodman's trips to North Korea

Rodman faces questions about detained American Kenneth Bae at the Beijing airport in September 2013. "It is not my job to talk about Kenneth Bae," he told reporters. Bae was later released from detention in North Korea in 2014.

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Photos:Dennis Rodman's trips to North Korea

Kim talks with Rodman during a dinner in this undated photo published on the homepage of North Korea's Rodong Sinmun newspaper on September 7, 2013.

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Photos:Dennis Rodman's trips to North Korea

Rodman arrives at North Korea's Pyongyang airport in September 2013.

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Photos:Dennis Rodman's trips to North Korea

Airport staff take pictures of the former NBA star at a check-in counter in Beijing in September 2013.

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Photos:Dennis Rodman's trips to North Korea

Rodman hugs Kim in this photo released by the Korean Central News Agency after a basketball game in Pyongyang in February 2013.

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Photos:Dennis Rodman's trips to North Korea

A photo released by the Korean Central News Agency shows Kim and Rodman clapping during a basketball game between the Harlem Globetrotters and players from the North Korean University of Physical Education in February 2013.

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Photos:Jeremy Lin: NBA's new sensation

Photos:Jeremy Lin: NBA's new sensation

Looking back on Linsanity – Jeremy Lin was the first U.S.-born NBA player of Chinese or Taiwanese descent, and his rise to stardom received international media coverage.

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Photos:Jeremy Lin: NBA's new sensation

Looking back on Linsanity – Boxer Floyd Mayweather, pictured center at an NBA game, criticized the hype surrounding Lin. He said the attention was based on Lin's ethnic background, rather than his ability.

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Photos:Jeremy Lin: NBA's new sensation

Looking back on Linsanity – The rise of Lin has attracted new fans to the NBA; one female fan expressed her commitment to the record-breaking point guard.

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Photos:Jeremy Lin: NBA's new sensation

Looking back on Linsanity – Lin's jersey flew of the shelves, as the then-23-year-old player delighted fans in the United States and Asia with his performance.

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Photos:Jeremy Lin: NBA's new sensation

Looking back on Linsanity – At one point, LIn outplayed Los Angeles Lakers star Kobe Bryant in the New York Knicks' 92-85 win. The win extended the Knicks' historic 2012 winning streak.

54 teams from various Argentine provinces and countries such as Mexico, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Ecuador, Uruguay and Venezuela, participated in the tournament. A total of 8,000 kids were part of the championship held from October 11th to 14th.

Last year, the youth championship (which started in 2010 in Ecuador) was held in La Vega, Dominican Republic. About 400 kids participated in the event. Mexico, Guatemala, Ecuador and delegations from 20 Dominican provinces were part of the championship.

Education first

The Triqui children-training program began its operations in 2009 with 500 kids. Nowadays, it trains around 2,500 children with focuses on: psychology, leadership and "laughter therapy," according to coach Zuniga.

"The main idea was to help these children through sports, to give them a different opportunity: go to school, play basketball, to get away from the mountains, to see other parts of the world," he said.

The most important factor that determines who participates in the tournament (or who gets to be in the team) is to have good grades. "If they don't have a 8.5 grade --out of 10-- (in elementary school,) they don't train or play."

Photos:NBA's African stars

Photos:NBA's African stars

Born in South Sudan, Luol Deng will be the Team Africa captain for NBA's first game on the continent. The Miami Heat forward will lead a roster made up of first and second generation African players.

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Photos:NBA's African stars

Hakeem Olajuwon joined the Houston Rockets in 1984, and led them to consecutive NBA championships in 1994 and 1995. The Nigerian-born center ended his career at the Toronto Raptors, retiring in 2002.

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Photos:NBA's African stars

Dikembe Mutombo – Referred to as one of the greatest shot blockers of all time, Dikembe Mutombo, from DR Congo, played for six NBA teams between 1991-2009. His longest stints were at the Denver Nuggets and the Houston Rockets.

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Photos:NBA's African stars

NBA's African stars - Festus Ezeli – Golden State Warriors star Festus Ezeli moved to America in 2004 from his native Nigeria, and signed to the Warriors as a center in 2012.

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Photos:NBA's African stars

Luc Mbah a Moute – Cameroonian Luc Mbah a Moute entered the NBA Draft in 2008, where he was selected by the Milwaulkee Bucks. He has been with the Philadelphia 76ers since August 2014.

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Photos:NBA's African stars

Hasheem Thabeet – Tanzanian Hasheem "The Dream" Thabeet is a giant, measuring 7ft 3in. His last team was Oklahoma City Thunder before moving to play in the NBA's Development League.

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Photos:NBA's African stars

Desagana Diop – Desagana Diop, a Senegalese center, was the 8th pick in the 2001 NBA Draft. He has been a free agent since last year after leaving the Cleveland Cavaliers.

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Photos:NBA's African stars

Bismack Biyombo – Born in the Democratic Republic of Congo, 21-year-old Bismack Biyombo began his professional basketball career in Spain and in 2011 he was drafted to the NBA and traded to the Charlotte Hornets, where he still plays today.

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Photos:NBA's African stars

Serge Ibaka – Born in the Republic of Congo, power forward Serge Ibaka played in the Spanish league before joining the Oklahoma City Thunder in 2009. Ibaka won an Olympic silver medal representing Spain in the 2012 Olympics.

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Photos:NBA's African stars

Sudanese Manute Bol played in the NBA from 1985 to 1995. At 7ft 7in, Bol was one of the NBA's tallest ever players. during his NBA career he played for the likes of Miami Heat and the Golden State Warriors. Bol died in 2010 from acute kidney failure.

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"With education as the motivator, the kids are going back to school, which is the project's main goal: give these kids an education through basketball. Away from the sports, the most important results are those reached at school."

According to Zuniga, the academy's success inspired other Mexican states to adopt the Triqui community model. Similarly other countries such as Peru, Bolivia and some Hispanic communities in the United States have expressed interest in the program.

Winning attitude

The Triqui kids were inspired after the Mexican team reigned at the 2013 FIBA Americas Championship held in Caracas, Venezuela in September.

"We can also do it. If they did it, we can also win, we can qualify and be world champions," said Rigoberto Lopez, 11, a member of the Triqui kids team, to CNN en Espanol before traveling to Argentina.

Silverio Cruz, 9, another member of the Triqui basketball team, said the most important element in the game is to have the "mentality of a champion."

Before leaving Argentina, the kids also defeated the Gorriones de Argentina 3-1 in a soccer match.

The team's next goal is to participate in the 2014 Barcelona Cup Basketball Tournament. In the meantime, they will keep working hard and will continue their journey to achieve their goals.

"It's beautiful to see that all their cons became their weapons. Hunger, poverty, motivated them to show themselves as they are. It's something we lack in Mexico: character, strength, inner strength. They are setting an example, even to me, that yes, you can do it," said Zuniga.